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IS IT REALLY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ALREADY!? It seems like only a few weeks ago I was standing alongside rabid Broncos fans in sub-zero temperatures tearing my heart out. I wasn’t thinking about the redemption that comes with a new season but rather lamenting what could and should have been as well as searching for answers… and a heat lamp, perhaps. That was actually over four months ago.

Jack Del Rio said this week that he got “tired of apologizing” for letting fans (who also happen to be neighbors) down back in January. He wasn’t saying that he hadn’t in fact felt sorry or that he hadn’t let Bronco fans down. He acknowledged that and took it a step further stating, “Obviously we let ourselves down first.”

Del Rio’s statement simply places the extremely disappointing events of January 12 in the past… WHERE THEY BELONG! Whether you are as shocked as I am that it’s already summer (well… almost!), it means that football is right around the corner. There is no time to focus on anything but the present and prepare for the future. Besides, in addition to Del Rio’s comments on the events that unfolded in last season’s playoffs, he also stated that Von Miller “can get better”. He can?!

From a statistical standpoint Von Miller’s first two seasons have been incredible. He has already logged 30 sacks! He was on pace to set the single season sack record for much of last year and finished with 18.5. If he makes the same kind of leap in production this year he will ultimately attain the distinction he was so close to in 2012-2013. Also, he’s durable. He’s played in 31 of 32 games despite wearing a cast for almost half of 2011. An improved Miller means an improved defensive overall, of course, and that must be a frightening prospect for the AFC and league as a whole. Simply consider that Denver had a top five defense last season en route to an 11 game win streak and a 13-3 finish.

If Miller gets better that means the additions of Shaun Phillips and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were a success. It means that suring up the defensve line by re-signing Kevin Vickerson and adding Sylvester Williams and Terrance Knighton created the type of pressure that allowed Miller to pick his spots and make quarterbacks awfully uncomfortable.

Del Rio shouldn’t be apologizing anymore. It’s summer time and preparations for the 2013 season are underway. An improved Von Miller is an exciting prospect for all Bronco fans and the prospects for his improvement are good. The Broncos have made solid off season moves.

Hey, it’s Memorial Day weekend. Whatever you and your family have planned, it shouldn’t be about hanging on to the cold days of winter… it should be about what lies ahead. There is a lot to look forward to. Enjoy your long weekend, Broncos fans. It will be football season before you know it.

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Charles Woodson has come and gone. We know the Broncos made him an offer but seeings how he is not on the roster, we can assume the offer was too low for Woodson’s tastes. The Raiders now appear more and more likely to sign Woodson but the Giants, Panthers and even the Lions have recently emerged as interested suitors. I doubt there isn’t a team that would benefit from his experience and skills but so far no organization seems interested in offering a substantial down payment for them. Woodson has gone from demanding a top salary to demanding he play for a contender to confessing that he is just a ball player looking to play ball. Where ever he ends up it is hard to see him as a Bronco at this point.

John Elway and company aren’t afraid to spend money, of course. Reference Peyton Manning’s  contract as evidence of that or just look at the sizable compromise they were reportedly ready to offer Elvis Dumervil. Sure, it was a pay cut, but it was still a sizable offer. The Broncos were one of the most aggressive teams in free agency this year as well. The minute the free agency clock started ticking this off season, the Broncos went on a shopping spree that only Kim Kardashian could top! Still, that doesn’t mean the Broncos have to have the best free agent safety on their team in order to remain an elite squad.

Woodson would be a nice addition and the Broncos have $7 million in cap room remaining. However, the Broncos don’t need him. For all the talk of Rahim Moore’s postseason blunder, the Bronco secondary was terrific last season. As many have said over and over again, Moore has to learn from that and move on. The consensus from the coaching staff is that he can and will.

Furthermore, it’s not as if the Broncos haven’t already made moves to sure up their defensive back field. They added Shaun Phillips to replace Dumervil’s production. While Phillips is not a defensive back necessarily, pressure is a defensive backs best friend. Adding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will allow Chris Harris  to either line up as a corner or line up as one of the best cover safeties in the AFC. As good as Harris was at corner last year it is easy to forget his natural position is actually safety.

Additionally, the Broncos added Kayvon Webster in the third round of this year’s draft. The knock on Webster isn’t his skill set or his potential. It was that many felt the Broncos’ reached too far to acquire him. Still, Webster is a versatile play maker who can line up in coverage and also tackles with authority. Just watch the film on this guy. I’m not going to go crazy and say Steve Atwater but then again, I just did.

Sure, picking up Woodson would be a statement. It would be an upgrade as well, no one is denying that. Who knows, he may end up a Bronco. Stranger things than that have happened. The one thing we’ve seen from this organization during the off season, however, is that they move decisively. Only Dumervil slipped away and that wasn’t because the Broncos didn’t make their offer and intentions clear right away. When they have wanted a player, they have been able to obtain him quickly and without unnecessary negotiations.

Like previous visitors Dwight Freeney and John Abraham, Woodson left without a contract. It speaks volumes to the confidence the Broncos have in the pieces they already have in place. This team can win a championship without Woodson. Of course, he claims he’d like to play for a contender. Well, Charles, there is one in Denver.

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With the signings of Wes Welker, Louis Vasquez and the recent addition of draftees Vinston Panter and Montee Ball, you have to think that the Broncos’ offense is complete. It’s May 11 and for the football faithful, that means we’re just three months away from the NFL’s first slate of pre-season games and four months from the start of the regular season. As Peyton Manning texted Kayvon Webster, “It’s time to work.” That doesn’t mean all of the free agent moves are done however.

Many fans continue to ask who else the Broncos have their eye on. Are there still free agents out there that might be signed? Sure there are, right? On the offensive side of the ball perhaps not but there are some big name free agents out there to be had. Does John Elway and Company want or need any of these guys?

Richard Seymour, DT, still remains without a contract. The Broncos have expressed interest and I personally would love to see him in Orange. He has a lot left in the tank and with Terrance Knighton and Sylvester Williams now his dangerous partners in crime, Seymour could stay fresh. That sounds like trouble for opposing offenses. However, it looks like Seymour is in an all-or-nothing stance. He wants big money or he will retire. I’d have to say the odds of seeing Seymour become a Bronco are slim.

Israel Idonije, DE, isn’t a household name or even a name lots of football fanatics have on the tip of their tongues. While he will not be a glamorous pick up for whichever team decides to sign him, he is productive. He is strong against the run and has racked up more than 21 sacks over the last three years. Oh, and he is BIG! Also, his salary shouldn’t break the bank. He is probably not even going to garner a $1 million price tag. He sounds like a perfect candidate for those who covert value and upside in free agency. However, there haven’t been any reports that the Broncos are interested.

Dwight Freeney and John Abraham, DE, have both been discussed in Bronco circles almost ad nauseum. When Elvis Dumervil slipped away via fax machine, fans expected a snap signing of one of these guys to follow immediately. The Broncos weren’t impressed and the price tags weren’t that exciting either. I still think Israel Idonije is a better option given the acquisition of Quanterus Smith in the draft but Freeney’s connection to Manning might see him join the team if his price continues to drop. Abraham will not be a Bronco. The Bronco brass seemed very unimpressed when he came to visit.

At Linebacker, Nick Barnett and Brian Urlacher are names that come up. Urlacher, for all of his greatness and his inevitable date with the Hall of Fame, looks done. He is the very definition of long in the tooth. Still his veteran leadership probably carries with it an intangible power that this young group of Bronco linebackers could benefit from. If Urlacher were satisfied enough simply to play at a discount for a contender I think all parties involved may find this to be a terrific fit. However, he hasn’t shown any signs of settling for a lesser contract. Nick Barnett, once one of the better linebackers in the NFL was cut by the Bills after failing a physical. The Bronco brass will not be biting.

While I’d be happy to see the Broncos go after Bart Scott and sign him to a short term deal that doesn’t seem too likely. He is also a linebacker in decline but much like Brian Dawkins, he brings fire to the locker room. Still, he seems to have suitors from within the AFC East and so far there hasn’t been one peep out of the Bronco organization about him.

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The man everyone is talking about these days is Charles Woodson. After Rahim Moore’s huge mistake only a few months ago, it’s easy for Bronco fans to want the likes of Woodson around. I mean, if the price was right why wouldn’t any team want Woodson around. However, it’s that very price tag question that’s lead me to doubt we will ever city him in the Mile High city.  A possible ray of light occurred yesterday when Woodson announced that he “just wants to play”, downgrading his earlier demands to play for a contender while still garnering top dollar. Apparently, he will do anything to play at this point, or so he now claims. So far, though, only the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders have shown any interest. Wow, talk about Brian Dawkins! Woodson would be a terrific fit. Still, he Denver doesn’t look like a likely suitor.

The Broncos have put together a terrific squad this off season and had a solid needs based approach in the draft that bolstered both the offense and the defense. Woodson, Scott, Idonije and possibly Urlacher get my vote on this list… only if the price is right. Still, the Broncos, who usually go out and get what they want, unless faced with the kryptonite of 1980’s technology, haven’t made much of a push for old blood. They seem content with the roster they have and the young additions they’ve just made.

Perhaps John Elway will shock us. He’s been doing that since 1983.

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